Clearing the confusion of Cav1 and caveolae in cancer compartments

In this study, Goetz et al. show that caveolin-1 (Cav1) in carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAF) is critical for tumor invasion and metastasis. Cav1 has been extensively studied in various cancer types, both as a tumor suppressor gene and an oncogene. Cav1 is proposed to function as a tumour-suppressor during initiation phase, but switches to a metastasis-promoting and drug-resistance function in advanced stages (Burgermeister et al. 2008). However, it remains unclear how Cav1 could perform diverse functions during cancer development and progression.